


operation tell me a lie

by eunseo



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Fluff, Genderqueer Character, Multi, Texting, monty makes really great coffee, the delinquents being buds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-14
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-09 07:12:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4338890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eunseo/pseuds/eunseo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Monty realizes Miller's his soulmate, he has a plan to find out if he's Miller's soulmate. It's a bad plan, but it's a plan.</p>
<p>(Soulmate AU where you can't lie to your soulmate also ft. lots of texting, coffee, and genderqueer monroe)</p>
            </blockquote>





	operation tell me a lie

Monty realizes Miller is his soulmate when he decides to throw an impromptu fireworks show near campus.

He's angry at Jasper for always putting him second, and he's angry at Professor Wallace for giving him a shitty grade on an essay when he had implied that Monty's essay was the best in the class. He wants to do something reckless and stupid and fun but not overly dangerous to forget his anger that doesn't involve weed because him and Jasper ran out, so he pulls out his phone and texts Monroe.

To: Monroe

meet me at the ark in 25 minutes bring fireworks

+

Miller's halfway through season one of Daredevil when he gets a text. He looks at the time, and his heart jumps in his chest when he realizes that Monty is the only person who would text him at this time, since somehow all of their friends have morning classes. His heart jumps again (for a completely different reason) when he sees what the text says.

From: Monty

meet me at the ark in 25 minutes bring fireworks

He doesn't usually mind fireworks but somehow Monty and explosives just don't seem like two things that should go together and he's calling Monty before he even realizes.

+

Monty walks to the Ark and gets to there fifteen minutes after texting Monroe; just as he's about to sit under a tree to wait for Monroe, Miller's calling him. He swears that his heart stops in his chest for a moment, and it takes Monty a moment to figure out why Miller would be calling him at two in the morning and then he realizes that he did not, in fact, text Monroe like he thought he did. He almost let the call go to voicemail before deciding that Miller at least deserved some sort of explanation, whether or not it was the truth.

As soon as he answers, Miller's talking in his ear.

"Why exactly do you need fireworks at two in the morning?"

He means to lie and say something along the lines of 'it's fine, i'm just gonna sell them to some students' but his throat closes up before he even gets out the first syllable. His eyes widen because he knows what that means, he saw what happened when Murphy tried to lie to Bellamy. He probably has the same shocked expression that Murphy had on his face because the boy he's been in love with for months is his soulmate. He dwells on that for a couple of minutes before he remembers that Miller,  _his soulmate_ , is still on the phone with him and probably wondering why he can't hear Monty.

"I'm annoyed and I wanna do something stupid. But not too stupid."

"How are fireworks not stupid?"

"I said lighting fireworks is stupid. Just not too stupid."

He hears Miller sighing on the other line.

"Fine. I'll bring you the fireworks," he says begrudgingly.

Monty's playing games on his phone when Miller pulls up a few minutes later. Monty looks up in surprise.

"How did you get the fireworks so quickly?"

"Mbege," Miller replies and Monty nods because yea, that makes sense.

When Miller opens the trunk of his car and Monty sees the fire extinguisher next to the fireworks, he huffs. "Really? A fire extinguisher? I'm offended that you have such little faith in me," he says half-jokingly.

"That I even brought you the fireworks should be a testament to how much faith I have. If Murphy asked me for fireworks, I would steal my dad's handcuffs and cuff him to the radiator in my room."

Monty shrugs. "Fair enough."

He makes sure to text Monroe to look out eir window before lighting the fireworks and recording it on his phone to send to his friends who have morning classes.

Somehow Monty had the foresight to bring a backpack with some blankets to his impromptu fireworks show and he lays them out after the fireworks are over. He ends up telling Miller why he wanted to blow up fireworks in the first place because Miller asked (and it's not like Monty can lie to him) and at some point during the night, they fall asleep beside each other. 

When Monty wakes up, the alarm on his phone is beeping loudly near his ear, and he remembers that he has class in two hours. When he turns his head, he sees Miller still asleep beside him, and he looks less rough around the edges. Monty's never been afraid of him, but he knows people who are, and sometimes he could understand why they felt intimidated, but not at this moment. Miller seems younger, softer somehow. He smiles softly before sitting up and shaking Miller awake. Miller groans at him and tries to shift away from Monty, who laughs quietly. 

"Come on, Miller, we both have class at noon," he says, shaking him again. Miller sighs defeatedly before opening his eyes. He rubs them with the heel of his hand a moment later, and his voice is rough when he asks Monty what time it is.

"It's ten, but we have to get back to campus so..." Monty trails off, but Miller seems to understand so he sits up, yawns, and then stands up. They pick up the blankets and Miller drives them back to school. Monty tries not to think about the fact that Miller is his soulmate, or the fact that he's equal parts adorable and attractive when he's just woken up. He also tries not to think about whether or not Miller knows they're soulmates. Unsurprisingly, he fails at all three, and by the end of the car ride, Miller looks mildly concerned because while Monty is talkative, he has rarely said anything the whole time. Before Miller even asks what's wrong (because he'd have to tell Miller the truth and he is nowhere near ready for that conversation), Monty smiles reassuringly at him.

"I'm alright, just thinking," Monty says, deliberately vague. Miller, thankfully, doesn't ask, simply parks his car. They walk quietly together back to the student dorms, and Monty starts thinking up a plan to figure out if Miller is his soulmate or not.

"See you later?" Miller says before they separate.

"Yeah, movies at the girls' tonight, right?" Miller nods, smiling slightly and Monty smiles back before walking to his dorm.

+

He has Philosophy with Harper and Monroe and when he sits in between them, he already knows what he'll do about The Miller Situation.

"I feel personally offended that I wasn't invited to your fireworks show," Monroe says without a greeting.

"I would feel personally offended except I was asleep," Harper adds on.

He looks between his two friends, and then at the clock at the front of the room which tells him he's got twenty minutes before class starts, and he begins explaining.

"Funny story, actually, you were the person who I meant to text," he pauses.

"Except?" Monroe asks.

"Except I texted Miller instead." He pretends not to hear Harper snort to his left, but Monroe's also trying to hide eir laughter. "It gets worse. Or better. Depending on how you look at it."

They look at him, prompting him to continue.

"I can't lie to Miller," he says simply, and lets them figure it out, and unsurprisingly, they understand what he means at the same time.

"Holy shit."

"Does he know?" Harper asks eagerly, and Monroe looks just as excited.

"No, but I have a plan," Monty replies, smiling conspiratorily. They both raise their eyebrows at him (for some reason, it still surprises Monty that they're so in sync, as if he hasn't known them since high school. And they're soulmates after all). "All I have to do is ask Miller questions that I know the answers to," he explains.

"Wait... what if Miller doesn't try to lie to you? You'll be asking him obscure questions for the rest of your lives," Monroe reasons, and Monty realizes ey has a point.

"Then I'll tell him to lie to me," Monty says, and it's definitely not his most thought-out plan but that's all he has, and for now it's enough.

Harper snorts again, and Monroe looks like ey's torn between laughing and feeling Monty's forehead to check if he has a fever.

+

Monty decides to start off simple, and ask Miller what his first name is (he knows his first name is Nathan because Bellamy told him so).

"Miller?" The boy in questions hums from across the table where he's using his laptop.

"What's your first name?"

At that, Miller looks up as though he was expecting something completely different and Monty tries to look as innocent as possible. "... Nathan. My first name's Nathan."

Monty smiles and stands up, quickly patting Miller's arm before losing his nerve. "Good talk, see you later." He quickly looks back and Miller looks hopelessly confused.

 

To: Harper, Monroe

day 1 of Operation Tell Me A Lie. no progress.

From: Monroe

I still can't believe you named the operation after a one direction song

+

He doesn't get a chance to see Miller without any of their other friends there for four days. When he does, Miller's sitting on the steps outside Mecha Hall, and Monty's five minutes late to meeting up with him.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Monty says, sitting beside Miller. "Octavia was complaining about how overprotective Bellamy is." He tries not to smile when Miller chuckles. "I wouldn't know what that's like, I don't have any siblings. Do you?" (He's known Miller's an only child for months, but Miller has never actually told him, so he figures it's safe).

Miller frowns like he's trying really hard to remember something. "I'm an only child. I've never told you?" Monty just shakes his head like he's oblivious. 

"But you know what, I'll forgive you for overlooking this crucial detail if you buy me some pie from the caf," Monty replies.

That startles a laugh out of Miller, and he shakes his head. "I can't believe you want pie from the cafeteria when there's a bakery two blocks off campus."

"I will admit that everything in the cafeteria tastes like old cardboard, but I could eat that pie for the rest of my life and be completely happy."

(They walk to the school cafeteria together and Monty makes Miller try the pie. Even though he didn't get Miller to lie to him, he did get Miller to admit that it's not as bad as he expected.)

 +

After two weeks, Miller becomes completely accustomed to Monty's seemingly irrelevant questions (he would ask Monty questions except Monty's fairly open about his life so there's not much to really ask). Monty's not sure how to feel about this, though he thinks it's ridiculous that Miller has still not attempted to lie to Monty.

+

After asking all the obvious questions, he has to resort to obscure questions, which means he has to ask around. When it comes to asking Mbege what Miller's favorite Marvel hero is, he finds the experience both overwhelming and anticlimactic. Monty's been intimidated by Mbege since he met him since he looks like the type who would have made fun of people like him in high school. However, when he asks Mbege looks completely unimpressed and tells Monty that he's watched The Winter Soldier about six times so it's probably Sam Wilson or Captain America.

(When Monty asks Miller, he doesn't even bat an eyelash and answers that it's Sam Wilson before taking another bite of his pizza.)

+

To: Harper, Monroe

day 20 of operation tmal

 

To: Harper, Monroe

AM I NOT WORTHY OF BEING LIED TO 

 

From: Harper

maybe you should

 

From: Harper

oh i don't know

 

From: Harper

JUST TELL HIM YOU'RE HIS SOULMATE

 

From: Monroe

What harper said

+

"Favorite villain?"

"Harley Quinn."

Monty takes a moment to thank all the deities that he can think of for making Miller his soulmate.

+

After 25 days, Monty tries a different approach, and because Miller and Murphy are childhood friends, that's who he gets his answer from.

"Have you ever cried because of a movie?"

"I'm pretty sure I cried when I watched Mewtwo Strikes Back," Miller says, and it almost looks as though he's thinking of any other instances.

 "Same," Monty replies, and Miller smiles fondly.

+

To: Bell, Octavia, Clarke, Murphy

has miller ever lied to any of you i'm asking for a friend

 

From: Octavia

oh my god monty just ask him

 

From: Clarke

I agree with Octavia but yes, one time i made a bunch of us pancakes and he said they were good but i saw that he gave his to bell

 

From: Murphy

he drank my coffee this morning but he said he didnt

 

From: Murphy

monty ill give you five dollars if you make me coffee

 

From: Bell

Please bring enough coffee for two people, I will also give you five dollars.

 

To: Bell, Octavia, Clarke, Murphy

??? make your own??

 

From: Octavia

monty i would literally sell my soul for a lifetime supply of your coffee

 

From: Clarke

Same

+

From: Harper

heard that you're making coffee monroe and i are coming over

 

From: Nathan

If there's still coffee, could you save me some?

 

From: Jasper

WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE MAKING COFFEE

 

From: Jasper

ARE YOU HAVING A BREAKFAST PARTY WITHOUT ME

 

From: Maya

Hi, Monty. Hope you don't mind that Jasper invited me to your breakfast thing? I'm bringing muffins. Hope it's okay

 

To: Wells, Lincoln, Raven

not sure if you've heard but I'm making coffee

 

From: Wells

On my way, do you have stuff to make french toast with?

 

From: Raven

I'll be there in like 2 seconds

 

From: Lincoln

O told me, will be there in a few.

+

"Hypothetically," Monty asks Miller, holding one of Maya's muffins in his hand, his second one so far. "Could I get rich by charging students for my coffee?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Miller replies, slowly sipping on his coffee ("to make it last," he said when Monty asked).

Suddenly, Harper's at his side with a piece of french toast. "But you shouldn't do that because I am a poor college student who doesn't have the self control required to not buy your coffee every day." In front of him, Miller's nodding while taking another sip of the coffee.

+

A month after he set his plan in motion, he finally gives up.

"Nathan?" Miller hums in response where he's laying next to him on the floor, and it still makes Monty's chest tight whenever he thinks about the fact that he's the only one allowed to call Miller by his first name.

"Have you ever lied to me?" At that, Miller opens his eyes to look at Monty.

"No," he says, and he's searching every inch of Monty's face, probably wondering where that question came from. "Why do you ask?"

"Could you try? Like, here, what's your favorite color?" It's a question that he doesn't actually know the answer to, and he's really hoping that Miller's throat closes up.

Miller opens his mouth to answer.

Monty waits. And waits. 

Until there's a smile breaking out across his face because Miller's looking at him like he won the lottery and he's sitting up to face Monty more fully.

"You're my soulmate," he says breathlessly, and Monty's smile somehow widens. 

"Yeah," Monty replies giddily.

Miller holds out his hand and Monty gladly takes it, lacing their fingers together. "Can I kiss you?" 

Monty nods vehemently and Miller smiles at him before leaning in and kissing him softly, though it barely lasts because they're both neither of them can stop smiling.

"Wait, is that why you kept asking me questions this entire month?" Monty doesn't dignify that with an answer, though his blush tells Miller all that he needs to know.

+

To: Harper, Monroe

day 32 of operation tmal

 

From: Monroe

what no status update?

 

To: Harper, Monroe

mISSION COMPLETE 

 

From: Harper

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

From: Monroe

FINALLY

+

To: Octavia, Clarke, Jasper, Bell

guess what

 

From: Octavia

you're making coffee

 

From: Clarke

You and raven are making robots that can fight each other

 

From: Jasper

you were in the lab and something exploded so class is cancelled

 

From: Bell

?? What happened

 

To: Octavia, Clarke, Jasper, Bell

you're all wrong

 

To: Octavia, Clarke, Jasper, Bell

I HAVE A BOYFRIEND

 

From: Octavia

WAIT ARE YOU SERIOUS FINALLY

 

From: Bell

It's about time!

 

From: Clarke

That's great!! I'm so happy for you and Miller!

 

From: Jasper

Wait what how did you know it was Miller am i missing something

 

From: Jasper

BUT YAY CONGRATS

 

From: Octavia

you should make coffee

 

From: Octavia

you know

 

From: Octavia

to celebrate

 

To: Octavia, Clarke, Jasper, Bell

o you only like me for my coffee

 

From: Octavia

i will neither confirm nor deny this

+

Miller's in the kitchen while Monty's making coffee and pancakes and he can hear their friends laughing in the living room of Raven, Octavia, and Clarke's apartment. He's not exactly sure what he did to deserve Monty after all the bad things he's done, but he'll be damned if he doesn't tell him every single day how much he means to him.

"What are you thinking about?" Monty asks next to him.

"I'm thinking that I love you," Miller says, smiling fondly when Monty blushes.

Monty leans forward to kiss him, and when they part, he says 'I love you too' against Miller's mouth before kissing him again.


End file.
